€13,585 raised of €20,000 goal

Just recently I reached a milestone whereby I came to the moment of having enjoyed firstly 26 years and 6 days in an able body, and then the equivalent span of time with a disabled body. And soon after, my 2ndsummer of Hyperbaric Oxygen at OxyGeneration began. So now is a good time to provide an update on progress, particularly as I have not provided any written updates at all (please excuse it being rather lengthy). Many of you have supported me, most of whom I have not thanked personally. I appreciate your generosity deeply and I will be in touch! Thank you J

Before giving an account of my HBO experience at OxyGeneration I’d just like to say that everyone is individual and their response to HBO varies. HBO is not a panacea, in fact there is no such thing, there is no wonder drug, no magic bullet; but I have witnessed OxyGeneration improve the quality of life of many people … it provides a way out, unfortunately not for all, but most ! I began HBOT therapy in June 2018 and had 120 sessions over that summer. The following is an account from then to now …

Sessions starting 12thJune 2018:

1Sleep extremely well that night and feel clear, focused and alert the following morning. The bad fracture of the left big toe, which had descended into the joint, and never felt comfortable even though the x-ray indicated it had healed well, becomes painfully acute.

3The speech starts to improve.

6The tremor in the right arm suddenly calms down so much that for the first time in over 25 years I can use the right hand to hold a cup without spilling the contents. The next morning, I shave for the most part using my right arm only. To me, this improvement in speech followed by the major calming of tremor only three days later indicates that the HBO has brought about a substantial reduction in the inflammation of the brain. ‘Inflammation’ is a buzzword today in the area of health. It is the root cause of much disease, and some would even argue that inflammation manifests as unlimited forms of disease. A healthy, fully functioning body has little inflammation. One of the major processes of HBO sees the eradication of inflammation from the body … for me this process has already begun

10Improvements in mental focus and concentration are so obvious. I begin to notice a reduction in the amount of sleep time required – yet still feel as rested as before.

20All age related aches and pains disappear. Old injuries fade away too … shoulder pain dating back to a debilitating injury incurred while having fun with the FFL in 1989 goes away completely. The body feels 20 years younger – as though it had been reconditioned. Only the pain of the left big toe remains. Peripheral double vision of the right eye, the last remaining symptom of a serious concussion from two years previously in which the cycling helmet cracked, simply vanishes. Changes in complexion start to become obvious, especially around the eye area … and that baggy eyed look simply disappears. The skin across the face looks younger.

25The acute pain in the big left toe totally disappears.

35The sinuses clear – they’d been sensitive along with the ears, ever since getting meningitis. No longer feel the need to devote so much time to preparing the ears for the pressurization. The sinuses are so clear that all breathing in the chamber is now nasal. Am developing an awareness of breath, and am no longer blocking and holding it whilst concentrating, its getting rhythmical. The nasal breathing is now expanding beyond the chamber into all aspects of life. When the atmospheric pressure is lowered, like the weather, the temperature drops, causing a cloud like mist. This cold that others barely notice when the chamber depressurizes, froze me almost painfully before, but now no longer bothers me. The underactive thyroid was fixed the year before in 2017, yet I was still very prone to cold. But now, am looking forward to being able to sit outside a street café drinking tea whether the sky is bright summer blue, or winter blanket grey.

39On returning home to Galway after a day of travelling to and from London fatigue gets to me and I undergo a bloody concussion to the back of the head in the street close to my house. This is the first of 5 concussions, 2 of which are bloody and accompanied by whiplash (mild).

40Begin to feel improvements in physical performance when cycling. Pain suddenly registers with the big left toe. Around about this time I notice the very small open wound at the tip of my left nostril has closed up. Had been trying for about 20 years to eradicate this, with at best, limited success.

60The pain in the left big toe goes, this time more or less for good About this time the improvement in handwriting becomes blatantly apparent, as does the ability of the right arm, hand and fingers to home in precisely on targeted objects. Dexterity is definitely on the up The brain training exercises performed while in the chamber are now a lot less taxing.

69Get emotional – maybe I’ll be able to finally shed a tear soon ? For the first time I acknowledge my vulnerability to myself and a good friend. On returning home from London the following day I once again have a heavy fall and begin to realize that this cockiness in the newfound mobility in which heightened confidence allows me to move bravely with total disregard for the multitude of moving objects, and subjects, around me which had always forced the brain to apply the brakes, was resulting in too many injuries, too many concussions. The peripheral double vision of the right eye resulting from the serious concussion in 2016 has, after 5 smaller concussions, returned. “Who dares wins”, yes definitely; but its time to slow down a bit !

73Enter the café ‘Grind’ across the street from OxyGeneration without touching the doorway at all.

75Enter the narrow doorway of the OxyGeneration chamber in the same fashion. Negotiating confined spaces has been, and still is, a challenge to the brain.

90Around about this time I begin to speak French with the fluency I had when I lived there back in the 80’s, not that, with the Scottish accent, I was ever fluent ! The elegant handwriting of the young boy on the cusp of teenage years returns as well.

98Have my first 100% right hand shave since I was a young lad.

100Give Brian Lynch and Gerry Il Vicolo a perfect High 5. At this stage, improvements are so constant that its almost like I stop taking notice. I only have to think of an aspect of my health, of body function, to notice an improvement. Results with other therapies are improving. Its as though the operating system of the present human body has been updated, and now performs similar to how it had two or three decades ago.

Having reached session 120on October the 17thit has been decided to do just a few sporadic sessions over the winter and then maybe start back intensively in the summer of 2019.

In November 2018 the eyes were checked, and compared to the examination two years previously, there was quite an improvement. With regards to the wall chart I had gone from 20/20 to, in the words of the optician, ‘beyond 20/20’. As to the reading of small print both eyes were now just slightly, but equivalently, out of focus, whereas before one eye was way off the mark. Good news for a man refusing to adopt the established thinking about reading glasses. It would be remiss for me to attribute these improvements solely to OxyGeneration, as I have been working hard on the eyesight for several years now; but it is known, in Ireland at least, that HBO is the only known cure for the eye disease Leber’s Optic Neuropathy, which overnight blinded the then 12 year Eric Lokko. Eric can now see. The eye retina, like the rest of the human body, is made of proteins, and over time these proteins degenerate. HBO regenerates the body, so it is entirely plausible that, on top of reversing eye conditions such as Eric’s, it may also regenerate the aging eye.

From the onset of a 2ndround of therapy at OxyGeneration beginning on the 13thof May 2019, the familiar experience of heightened energy and focus along with better sleep are apparent. After the 3rdsession the body’s mobility, which had slowed over the winter, suddenly clicked back into gear. Thankfully, there is no feeling of novelty with the enhanced mobility, and I find myself not needing to be brave, and automatically taking risks, which can be a little reckless. There’s more prudence this time round, no falls, no concussions. I’m not sure when exactly, but after about 30 sessions the peripheral double vision resulting from the original concussion disappeared. As I’ve become aware of my tendency to bang the head against whatever, this has reduced dramatically. I find my hair gently brushing against furniture etc. instead. The sheer quantity, variety, and power of the medical drugs used to ensure my survival while I was getting my ass whipped by a tiny little bug called meningitis, took its toll on the digestive tract. The intestinal flora there was stripped bare, and years went by before any semblance of normality returned. After a score or two of HBO sessions, the tummy became slightly upset, and seemed to be in a healing crisis of sorts. My patience was challenged, and it wasn’t until session 185 that it suddenly felt like HBO had finished its work … it was a bit like a home decorator stripping out old wall paper only to reveal gaping cracks beneath, filling those cracks, and redecorating with brand new, elegant, sexy wallpaper.

Acupuncturist Trish Conneely noticed recently that old scar tissue from surgery had reduced a good 50% in size, and that the body is much more receptive to needling. The body is so much more confident, and speedier too, in movements such as turning, getting up off the floor, and one we all take for granted - sitting to standing, standing to sitting. The whole pelvic region is so much more flexible, and this is reflected in the back and knees. I must spend over an hour a day in the full squat position as I graze, and graze and graze [since commencing HBO, grazing time has increased dramatically, with ravenous hunger and noticeable weight loss - no this is not a quibble, just an observation, an acknowledgement, of looking forward to pot belly]. There are no stilettos at home, so I use a 2” block of wood when squatting. The knees have almost stopped clicking, and the groin has almost stopped clunking. Instrumental in making this happen along with OxyGeneration, are Greg Muller, Adrian Craddock, and Ronnie Ward.

Was it worth it?

To an outsider the thought of spending the equivalent of over 10 days in a pressure chamber listening to my breathing and the breathing of my chamber friends, may seem somewhat crazy. But through most episodes of discomfort comes peace. Mine has come through peace within my body and mind. Peace of letting go of some of the pain that has been a part of me for the past 26 years and seeking to begin the next 26 with a different soundtrack. So, was it worth it…? Absolutely.